Decorative member for outdoor use

ABSTRACT

A decorative member for outdoors use is adapted to be coupled to a main functional member and has a surface that is externally exposed. The decorative member includes an outer member made of a metal, the outer member having inner and outer surfaces; and at least one inner member made of a synthetic resin and being fixedly attached to the inner surface of the outer member. The decorative member is adapted to be coupled to the main function member via the inner member.

This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/636,706, filed Aug. 8, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,135, whichclaims right of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-249252,filed Aug. 28, 2002. A certified copy of the Japanese patent applicationhas been filed in the parent application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a decorative member. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a decorative member foroutdoor use that has a surface that is externally exposed and adapted tobe used outdoors.

2. Background Information

A decorative member for outdoor use such as a reel unit of a fishingreel or a counter case for a water depth display has a surface that isexternally exposed. Such decorative member is provided, on the interior,with concave or convex portions such as installation bosses or bearingsupport members. For example, in a dual bearing reel, a boss forinstalling a coil spring on the interior of the side cover of the reelbody, a threaded installation boss are disposed such that they projectinward.

In the conventional art, decorative members are often manufactured byresin injection molding or by aluminum die-casting because these typesof concave or convex portions are needed. When performing aluminumdie-casting, a substantial amount of silicon is often added to thealuminum alloy in order to improve fluidity. Because of this, thedecorative member will take on a whitish color, and a high qualityappearance will be difficult to obtain even after an alumite treatmenthas been performed thereon.

Thus, finishing process such as plating or painting is performed onmembers that are formed from resin or by aluminum die-casting, so that ahigh quality metal-like finish can be obtained. However, these methodscannot produce a metal-like finish having a high quality luster.Instead, these methods will produce a finish that appears cheap.

Accordingly, forged or press molded members are used in high qualityproducts in order to provide an expensive metal-like finish. Because itis not necessary to improve fluidity, forged members are provided with ahigh quality finish by using a surface treatment such as an alumitetreatment or the like. Likewise, press molded members are provided witha high quality finish with the same type of surface treatment.

With conventional decorative members in which forged members are used, aplurality of post-manufacturing processes must be performed in order toform the concave or convex portions, which further increases the costs.In addition, with conventional decorative members in which press moldedmembers are used, attachment portions such as screw holes and rivetholes for installing the concave or convex portions are exposed in thesurface thereof, which creates problems with the aesthetic appearance ofthe product.

In view of the above, there exists a need for a decorative member whichovercomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This inventionaddresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Purposes of the present invention are to prevent an increase in the costof decorative members for outdoor use, to prevent the exposure ofattachment portions in the surface of the decorative member, and toprovide an expensive appearance to the decorative member.

A decorative member for outdoor use according to the first aspect of thepresent invention has an external surface that is exposed externally,and is adapted to be coupled to a main functional member. The decorativemember includes an outer member and at least one inner member. The outermember is a metal member having inner and outer surfaces. The innermember for installation/support is made of a synthetic resin, and isfixedly attached to the inner surface of the outer member such that thedecorative member is adapted to be coupled to the main function membervia the inner member.

In this decorative member for outdoor use, the outer member having asurface that is exposed externally is made of metal, and the innermember for installation/support is made of a synthetic resin and isfixedly attached to the inner surface of the outer member. Here, becausethere is little limitation with respect to the metal outer member, ahigh quality outer appearance can be obtained without post-processingeven when forging is employed to form the metal outer member. Inaddition, because the inner member is fixedly attached to the interiorsurface of the outer member, the attachment portions forinstallation/support are not exposed on the surface even when apress-molded member is employed as the inner member. Because of this,cost increases are prevented, exposure of the attachment portions on thesurface is prevented, and an expensive exterior appearance can beobtained.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the second aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member as set forth in the first aspect,in which the inner members is a cylindrical portion that is mounted tothe inner surface of the outer member. In this situation, an expensiveexterior appearance can be maintained even when a plurality ofcylindrical portions for are provided.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the third aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member as set forth in the first or thesecond aspect, wherein the decorative member as a plurality of innermembers that are linked together by a linking portion. In thissituation, by linking the plurality of inner members with the linkingportion, the task of installing the inner members is simplified becausethe number of parts is reduced.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the fourth aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member as set forth in any of the firstthrough third aspects, wherein the outer member is made of an aluminumalloy. In this situation, by employing, for example, a press moldedaluminum alloy plate as the outer member, an expensive exteriorappearance can be obtained because a whitish color can be prevented fromdeveloping due to the addition of silicon when die casting the aluminum.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the fifth aspect ofthe present invention is the decorative member set forth in the fourthaspect, wherein the inner and outer surfaces of the outer member aresubjected to an alumite treatment. In this situation, the surfaces ofthe outer member can be prevented from damage, and its corrosionresistance can be improved.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the sixth aspect ofthe present invention is the decorative member set forth in any of thefirst through fifth aspects, wherein the inner members is made of onesynthetic resin selected from the group consisting of polyamide resins,polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resins, polyethylene resins (PE), andpolypropylene (PP) resins. In this situation, by forming the innermembers from one synthetic resin selected from the group consisting ofpolyamide resins, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resins, polyethyleneresins (PE), and polypropylene (PP) resins, cost increases can befurther prevented.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the seventh aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member set forth in any of the firstthrough sixth aspects, in which the outer member is at least partiallyinserted into a die and is integrally formed with the inner member. Inthis situation, it is easier to form the inner members when at least aportion of the outer member is inserted into a die, and outsert orinsert molding of the inner members is performed.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the eighth aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member set forth in any of the firstthrough seventh aspects, wherein the inner member is attached to theouter member by chemical bonding. In this situation, the inner memberwill be firmly bonded to the outer member.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the ninth aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member set forth in the eighth aspect,wherein the inner members is connected to the inner surface of the outermember by diffusing a fine triazine thiol powder on the inner surface ofthe outer member by means of an electro-deposition plating process, andthen integrally forming the inner member to the inner surface of theouter member via this diffused powder. In this situation, the innermember will be firmly bonded to the outer member.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the tenth aspect ofthe invention is the decorative member set forth in any of the firstthrough ninth aspects, wherein the outer member includes a reel unit ofa fishing reel. In this situation, cost increases are prevented, theexposure of the attachment portion on the surface is prevented, and ahigh quality exterior appearance can be obtained with, for example, theside covers or side plates of a dual bearing reel or the reel body ofthe reel unit of a spinning reel.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the eleventh aspectof the invention is the decorative member disclosed in any of the firstthrough ninth aspects, wherein the outer member includes a counter casefor a water depth display for a fishing reel. In this situation, costincreases are prevented, the exposure of the attachment portion on thesurface is prevented, and a high quality exterior appearance can beobtained with, for example, a counter case for an electric reel or acounter reel.

The decorative member for outdoor use according to the twelfth aspect ofthe invention is the member disclosed in any of the first through ninthaspects, wherein the outer member includes a case for a cycle computercapable of being mounted on a bicycle. In this situation, cost increasesare prevented, the exposure of the attachment portion on the surface isprevented, and a high quality exterior appearance can be obtained with acase for a cycle computer.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a dual-bearing reel in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the area around themounting portions of the first side cover in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the area around themounting portions of the second side cover in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-section of the reel unit in accordance withthe embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a counter reel in accordance withanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the counter case in accordance with thesecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a lateral view of a bicycle in accordance with still anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the bicycle in accordance withthe third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of a case for a cycle computer inaccordance with the third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a broken perspective view of the side cover and thecylindrical portions in accordance with the fourth embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart from this disclosure that the following description of theembodiments of the present invention is provided for illustration only,and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

As shown in FIG. 1, a dual bearing reel in which an embodiment of thepresent invention is applied has a low profile-type reel to be used forbait casting. This dual bearing reel includes a reel unit 1, a handleassembly 2 that is disposed on one side of the reel unit 1 for rotatinga spool 4, and the spool 4 for winding fishing line mounted rotativelyand detachably within the reel unit 1. A star drag 3 for adjusting dragis provided on the same side of the reel unit 1 as the handle assembly2.

The reel unit 1 has a frame 5, and a first side cover 6 a and a secondside cover 6 b that are mounted to both sides of the frame 5.

The frame 5 is made of an aluminum alloy. The first side cover 6 a andthe second side cover 6 b (examples of the outer member) have a firstside plate 7 a and a second side plate 7 b that are respectively mountedthereto, and a plurality of connecting portions 8 that connect the firstside plate 7 a and the second side plate 7 b. The first side plate 7 aand the second side plate 7 b are integrally formed with the connectingportions 8.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first side cover 6 a and the second sidecover 6 b are coupled to the first and second side plates 7 a and 7 b bythreadedly coupling screw members 30 into a plurality of cylindricalportions 20 (examples of inner members and coupling members) from theinner sides of the first side plate 7 a and the second side plate 7 b.The cylindrical portions 20 are fixedly attached to the inner surfacesof the first side cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b such that saidcylindrical portions 20 and the first side cover 6 a, and thecylindrical portions 20 and the second side cover 6 b respectively areformed as one-piece unitary members. Accordingly, the first and secondside covers 6 a and 6 b are coupled to the first and second side plates7 a and 7 b (examples of main functional members) via the cylindricalportions 20. Because of this, screw members 30 are not exposed on thesurfaces of the first side cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b. Thefirst side cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b are formed by pressmolding an aluminum alloy plate member.

The cylindrical portions 20 are made of a synthetic resin, and arebosses for installing/supporting the screw members 30. Concave portions22 that are opened in the ends of the cylindrical portions 20 are formedby cutting and the like, and threaded portions are formed therein inorder to mount the screw members 30. Although the cylindrical portions20 are cylindrical members with threaded concave portion 22 formedthereon, the shapes of the cylindrical portion and the concave portion22 are not limited to those described herein. The inner members ofcoupling members can have any shape as long as they can couple the outermember to the main functional member.

The cylindrical portions 20 are made of one synthetic resin selectedfrom the group consisting of polyamide resins such as Nylon 6 or Nylon66, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resins, polyethylene resins (PE), andpolypropylene (PP) resins. The cylindrical portions 20 are attached tothe first side cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b by chemicalbonding. Here, alumite 11 is formed on the aluminum alloy first sidecover 6 a and second side cover 6 b (see FIG. 4). A fine triazine thiolpowder is diffused on the inner surfaces of the first side cover 6 a andsecond side cover 6 b by an electro-deposition plating process to forman electro-deposition layer 12 (see FIG. 4), which will be describedbelow. The cylindrical portions 20 are attached to the inner surface ofthe first side cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b by inserting aportion of or the entire first side cover 6 a and second side cover 6 binto a die and outsert molding or insert molding the cylindricalportions 20 to the electro-deposition layer 12 on the portions of thecylindrical portions 20 that are inserted into the die.

More specifically, the cylindrical portions 20 are attached to the firstside cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b by performing an organicplating process using a special metal surface preparation agent RTD thatchemically reacts with both a metal such as an aluminum alloy and asynthetic resin. Then, the RTD on the metal surface is directly attachedto the synthetic resin within the die. Triazine thiol has a quality inwhich an R group therein will bond with a synthetic resin, and a sulfonegroup SH therein will bond with a metal. The fine triazine thiol powderis diffused by the electro-deposition plating process. Accordingly, thecylindrical portions 20 are firmly chemically bonded to the first sidecover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b.

Each member (hereinafter generally referred to as component 10) thatforms the reel unit 1 is made of an aluminum alloy, and anelectro-deposition process is performed on the surfaces of thecomponents 10. As shown in FIG. 4, alumite 11 is formed on the surfaceof the aluminum alloy components 10 by means of an alumite treatment.The electro-deposition layer 12 is formed on the surface of the alumite11 by means of an electro-deposition process.

The alumite 11 is formed by anodizing the aluminum alloy. When thecomponents 10 are made into anodes and subjected to electrolysis in asolution such as sulfuric acid, a film is formed thereon due to theoxygen that is generated by the anode.

The electro-deposition layer 12 is formed by diffusing fine triazinethiol powder by means of an electro-deposition plating process. Whenthis type of electro-deposition is performed, the components 10 on whichthe alumite 11 has been formed are immersed into a coating tank, wherethe components 10 become cathodes and the electrode plate on which thecoating layer is provided becomes an anode. In this manner, a coating isplaced on the components 10 by applying a DC voltage thereto. Sinceformation of the alumite is well known in the art, further explanationis omitted herein.

In this dual bearing reel, the synthetic resin cylindrical portions 20are fixedly attached to the inner surface of the first side cover 6 aand the second side cover 6 b. Here, because there are few limitationswith respect to the metal first side cover 6 a and the second side cover6 b, an expensive exterior appearance can be obtained withoutpost-processing even if forging is employed. In addition, because thecylindrical portions 20 are fixedly attached to the interior surface ofthe first side cover 6 a and the second side cover 6 b, the attachmentportions for installation/support are not exposed on the surface even ifa press molded member is employed in the dual-bearing reel. Thus, costincreases are prevented, the exposure of the attachment portion on thesurface is prevented, and an expensive exterior appearance can beobtained.

Other Embodiments

(a) In the aforementioned embodiment, a dual bearing reel for baitcasting was used as an example to describe the decorative member foroutdoor use. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, the present invention can be applied to fishing reels such as around type dual bearing reel, a spinning reel, or a single bearing reel.In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the present invention can alsobe applied to a counter case of a counter reel.

As shown in FIG. 5, a counter reel in accordance with another embodimentof the present invention primarily includes a reel unit 101, a handle102 for rotating a spool that is disposed on the side of the reel unit101, and a star drag 103 for adjusting drag that is provided on the sideof the reel unit 101 closer to the handle 102. A counter case 104 fordisplaying water depth is fixedly coupled to an upper portion of thereel unit 101 (another example of main functional member).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the counter case 104 (another example ofouter member) has an upper case member 140 that includes a space in theinterior thereof that is open on a bottom portion thereof, and a lowercase member (not shown in the figures) that covers the opening in theupper case member 140. The upper case member 140 is made of an aluminumalloy, and is provided with a display 105 and operation keys 106 thatare disposed on the right side of the display 105. The display 105 isformed of a liquid crystal display.

As shown in FIG. 6, two cylindrical portions 120 (another example ofinner members) made of synthetic resin are attached to a front edge ofthe inner surface of the upper case member 140 on the left side and theright side of the upper case member 140. The method of attaching thecylindrical portions 120 and the upper case member 140 is identical tothe aforementioned embodiment and is therefore omitted. With thiscounter reel, because cylindrical portions 120 that are made ofsynthetic resin are fixedly attached to the inner surface of the metalupper case member 140, cost increases are prevented, the exposure of theattachment portion on the surface is prevented, and a high qualityexterior appearance can be obtained.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the present invention can also beapplied to a case for a cycle computer on a bicycle. A bicycle inaccordance with these embodiments of the present invention is shown inFIGS. 7 and 8.

As shown in FIG. 7, a bicycle 201 is a mountain bike type of sportsvehicle, and essentially includes a frame 202, a front fork 203, ahandle 204, a front wheel 205, a rear wheel 206, a chain 207, a frontexternal transmission 208, and a rear external transmission 209.

The frame 202 serves as the base of the bicycle 201. The frame 202 hasthe front fork 203 disposed on its front portion, the front externaltransmission 208 disposed on its lower central portion, and the rearwheel 206 and rear external transmission 209 disposed on its rearportion. In addition, a saddle 211 on which a rider sits is disposed onthe upper central portion of the frame 202.

The front fork 203 is mounted to a front portion of the frame 202 so asto be freely pivotable with respect to an axis X that is diagonallyinclined. The handle 204 is mounted on the upper portion of the frontfork 203, and a front wheel 205 is mounted on the lower portion of thefront fork 203.

As shown in FIG. 8, grips 212 a, 212 b, and brake levers 213 a, 213 bare provided on both ends of the handle 204. In addition, a speedcontrol device 215 that can display the speed at which the bicycle istraveling is mounted on a central portion of the handle 204.

The speed control device 215 is disposed in a box-shaped control case227, and a display 224 is disposed on the upper surface of the controlcase 227. As shown in FIG. 9, the case 227 has an upper case 228 inwhich the display 224 (another example of main functional member) isdisposed, and a lower case 229 (another example of outer member) that isdisposed opposite the upper case 228. The upper case 228 and the lowercase 229 are made of an aluminum alloy. Cylindrical portions 220, whichare made of a synthetic resin and serve to support various substrates225 (another example of inner members) of the display 224, are attachedto the surface of the lower case 229 that faces the upper case 228. Inother words, the lower case 229 supports the substrates 225 via thecylindrical portions 220. The method of attaching the cylindricalportions 220 and the lower case member 229 is identical to theaforementioned embodiment and is therefore omitted. With this speedcontrol device 215, because cylindrical portions 220 that are made ofsynthetic resin are fixedly attached to the inner surface of the metallower case member 229, cost increases are prevented, the exposure of theattachment portion on the surface is prevented, and an expensiveexterior appearance can be obtained.

(b) In the previous embodiment, a fine triazine thiol powder wasdiffused by an electro-deposition plating process and then chemicalbonding was performed. However, the attachment method is not limitedthereto. The inner member may be attached to the outer member by anyconventional adhesion methods. For instance, the inner may be attachedto the outer member with epoxy-type, acryl-type, or urethane-typeadhesives

(c) In the previous embodiment, a plurality of cylindrical portions 20was provided. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the cylindrical portions 20may be linked to one another via a linking portion 40, such that thecylindrical portions 20 and the linking portion 40 form a one-pieceunitary member. Still alternatively, there may be provided only onecylindrical portion. In addition, the cylindrical portions 20 are bossesfor installing/supporting the screw members 30 in the aforementionedembodiments. However, the inner members may also be projections which donot have the concave portions.

Furthermore, although the inner members or the coupling members areembodied as the cylindrical portions in the aforementioned embodiments,the shape of the inner members is not limited thereby. The inner memberor the coupling member may take any shape as long as the outer member orthe side covers can be coupled to the main functional member or the sideplates via the inner member or the coupling member.

According to the present invention, cost increases are prevented, theexposure of the attachment portions on the surface is prevented, and anexpensive exterior appearance can be obtained because inner members madeof synthetic resin are fixedly attached to the inner surface of a metalouter member.

As used herein, the following directional terms “forward, rearward,above, downward, vertical, horizontal, below and transverse” as well asany other similar directional terms refer to those directions of adevice equipped with the present invention. Accordingly, these terms, asutilized to describe the present invention should be interpretedrelative to a device equipped with the present invention.

The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately”as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modifiedterm such that the end result is not significantly changed. These termsshould be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of themodified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the wordit modifies.

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2002-249252. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No.2002-249252 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing description of theembodiments according to the present invention is provided forillustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A decorative member being adapted to be coupled to a main functionalmember and having a surface that is externally exposed, said decorativemember being for outdoors use under the condition of exposing to windand rain, in which an electronic circuit is housed and comprising: anouter member made of a metal, said outer member having inner and outersurfaces; and at least one inner member made of a synthetic resin andbeing fixedly attached to said inner surface of said outer member, saiddecorative member being adapted to be coupled to the main functionmember via said inner member, said inner member being formed uniformlywith said outer member as a one-piece unitary member with said outermember being at least partially inserted into a die.
 2. The decorativemember for outdoor use set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner memberis a cylindrical member that is mounted to said inner surface of saidouter member.
 3. The decorative member for outdoor use set forth inclaim 1, wherein said decorative member has a plurality of innermembers, and said plurality of inner members are linked to one another.4. The decorative member for outdoor use set forth in claim 1, whereinsaid outer member is made of an aluminum alloy.
 5. The decorative memberfor outdoor use set forth in claim 4, wherein said inner and outersurfaces of said outer member are subjected to an alumite treatment. 6.The decorative member for outdoor use set forth in claim 1, wherein saidinner members are made of one synthetic resin selected from a groupconsisting of polyamide resins, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resins,polyethylene resins (PE), and polypropylene (PP) resins.
 7. Thedecorative member for outdoor use set forth in claim 1, wherein saidouter member includes a counter case for a water depth display.
 8. Thedecorative member for outdoor use set forth in claim 1, wherein saidouter member includes a case for a cycle computer adapted to be mountedon a bicycle.
 9. A decorative member being adapted to be coupled to amain functional member and having a surface that is externally exposed,said decorative member being for outdoors use under the condition ofexposing to wind and rain, in which an electronic circuit is housed andcomprising: an outer member made of a metal, said outer member havinginner and outer surfaces; and at least one inner member made of asynthetic resin and being fixedly attached to said inner surface of saidouter member, said decorative member being adapted to be coupled to themain function member via said inner member, said inner member beingattached to said outer member by chemical bonding.
 10. The decorativemember for outdoor use set forth in claim 9, wherein said inner memberis attached to said inner surface of said outer member by diffusing afine triazine thiol powder on said inner surface of said outer member byan electro-deposition plating process and then integrally forming saidinner member with said inner surface of said outer member via saiddiffused triazine thiol powder.